i feel the love, and i feel it burn, down this river every turn

[oyashiromama]

[The trial, as usual, was taxing. It's for different reasons every week, but what it all comes down to is there are fewer of them than there were, and that keeps on happening. The note comes, as it always does, earlier than last week, but still with some delay. There's a note slipped under everyone's door. ...One under Gold's door because of course Silver will be staying there, she knows.]

Please come to the dining room, if you would like not to be alone. There will be food, and there will be some cards and board games if you need a distraction.

- Hanyuu & Elda

[True to that, there are a variety of foods. It's nothing too fancy. Rice, grilled fish, eggs in various styles. ...No creampuffs this time, it seems Hanyuu thought that would be a little in poor taste. Also a bunch of fries? ...Really spicy fries, like incredibly so.

On a far table, board games brought from the games room have been left out, along with many decks of cards.]

Comments

[foundfate]

...I won't.

[He doesn't understand the significance of that statement, but.]

I promise you, I won't.

[oyashiromama]

[Well. Then-

She gently pats his arm and pulls away, just a little. Her cheeks are a little colored.]

Then I- ah, I will keep on...trying too. [She did it again, dumb pronoun mixup. Boku but then back to watashi.] Varric...he told me to look out for the rest of you should...anything happen. And I don't want...to let him down.

[foundfate]

[He heard that, you. And he remembers the pronoun mixups from before too. He makes a mental note to ask about that later.]

Well I guess it's good that you look out for me already, then. It's not too much extra work for you.

[oyashiromama]

And I always will. As long as I'm able.

[No, no one can ask her about her personal problems she will not- no let's not even joke]

Aah...and...you and...Orihime will...take care of each other too...?

[...she hasn't asked about that yet, but-]

[foundfate]

...ah.

[That's a perfect distraction to keep him from asking about her problems, because he gets very easily flustered any time the topic of 'him and Orihime' is brought up.]

I. Yeah. We will.

[oyashiromama]

[HAHA SCORE NICE DODGE no really, she gives him a fond smile.]

I was hoping...something good came from all of that, you know? You both deserve that sort of happiness.

[foundfate]

I...

[He looks away, sadness taking over his face.]

It doesn't feel right, not after what just happened. Maybe later it will, after we've left here and had time to heal from it all. But right now, it feels like it's too soon.

[oyashiromama]

[Her hand finds his arm again.]

In a world surrounded by tragedy, we have to take hold of whatever happiness we can, and enjoy it while we can. No one...would want you to be miserable if you have a chance for a tiny bit of that...right?

[foundfate]

Probably not, but.

[He misses Varric.]

There's people no longer here, people I would've wanted to tell about this first.

[oyashiromama]

...

[Her hand finds his.]

I know...he would be happy for you. And I know...when we find out how to write back to them...you can tell him yourself.

[foundfate]

[He will go ahead and squeeze that hand back.]

He would probably tease me. 'Can't even wait until I'm cold, Goldie?' Or something like that.

[oyashiromama]

He wouldn't let it end. Every letter, there would be a reference to it...followed with how you'd better be treating each other right.

[That's just the kind of person Varric was.]

[foundfate]

Exactly. Maybe it would be better to wait until I find him again to tell him.

[oyashiromama]

You never know. It could be just what he needs to hear.

[foundfate]

Maybe. I hope so. It would make the journey to his world awkward if it wasn't.

[oyashiromama]

How...are you going to do that? You said, until you find him again, until...you find his spirit?

[When they're out of there...]

[foundfate]

Yeah. I mean, whatever's blocking our powers, it'll have to go away when we're not stuck here anymore.

Traveling to different worlds is possible. Yuuko knows how to do it. And ghosts are as solid as a living person to me. I need to take their souls back to their worlds. All of them.

[oyashiromama]

...It's a beautiful goal, Watanuki. I think...I think they would all like that.

[...mostly. Alani's world, it sounds... Hanyuu doesn't know how much of it left there would be, even in a spiritual form.]

I... I've some experience traveling between worlds too, obviously. I would... Should it come to pass, I wouldn't want to leave this...to rest solely on your shoulders.

[foundfate]

[Christo and Killia need to go to another world anyway, so Alani can go right along with them.]

The help would be nice. Herding around 14 souls isn't going to be easy, especially with all of them going to different places. Christo and Killia need to go to my world though, their world apparently doesn't have an afterlife. And I'm taking care of Varric's soul personally. Gold's too.

[The rest he is up for whoever handling them, so long as they get where they need to go. But those ones he needs to handle himself.]

[oyashiromama]

Yes, that... There'd be some trial and error to be done, especially-

[Wait.

Fourteen...]

You said... But there are fifteen of us fallen.

[foundfate]

Ah-

[He's not sure what to do about Kira. But instead of saying that, he gives Hanyuu a quick sheepish smile.]

S-sorry, I miscounted.

[oyashiromama]

[...Yeah, she knows otherwise. He's kind of the hand-loving elephant in the room but-

She gently shakes her head, her own weak smile rising to her face.]

It's been a long day. Don't worry about it.